Nunavut MLAs to scrutinize AG’s health report next week on TV

Starting May 8, the Nunavut legislature’s standing committee on public accounts will hold televised hearings to look at reports from the Auditor General of Canada and the Nunavut information and privacy commissioner. But this week’s meeting of the legislature’s standing committee on legislation is taking place in camera. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavut’s Department of Health will go under the microscope next week in televised hearings at Nunavut’s legislative assembly, when MLAs are to examine reports by the Auditor Canada of Canada and the territory’s information and privacy commissioner.

Staff from the auditor general’s office will start fielding questions from members of Nunavut’s standing committee on public accounts, starting 1:30 p.m. eastern time on May 8.

That’s when MLAs will get a chance to ask questions about Michael Ferguson’s highly critical report on the Nunavut health department.

That report found high turnover among Nunavut nurses and other health professionals— compounded by limited resources and training—that the Auditor General says is compromising the quality of health care in Nunavut.

At 1:30 p.m. eastern time on May 10, Nunavut’s privacy commissioner, Elaine Keenan Bengts, will report on her recent audit of the Qikiqtani General Hospital.

That report advocated that the hospital—run by Nunavut’s Department of Health—should be held to the same accountability standards as other public bodies such as Nunavut Arctic College and Nunavut Housing Corp.

Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu MLA Pat Angnakak will chair the standing committee for the two hearings.

“Both reports contain a number of important observations and recommendations concerning our territory’s health care system,” Angnakak said in a media release.

Nunavut’s Legislative Assembly is available on local televised cable and on direct-to-home satellite services on Bell channel 513 and Shaw channel 289 or 489.

In contrast to next week’s highly publicized televised hearings, the Nunavut legislature’s standing committee on legislation began meetings this week—behind closed doors.

The legislative calendar says the purpose of the meeting is “review of bills.”

There are five bills at the second reading stage that have yet to be dealt with by a standing committee including bills to amend the Motor Vehicle Act, the Consumer Protection Act, as well as a Waste Reduction and Diversion Act and a Corrections Act.

The most controversial bill before them, however, is Bill 37, which contains amendments to the Education Act and to the Inuit Language Protection Act.

This past May 1, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the three regional Inuit associations, in their submission to the standing committee on legislation, demanded that Bill 37 be withdrawn and re-written.

But if MLAs on the legislation committee have anything to say about that issue, it will not be in public. The assembly has not given a reason for holding this week’s committee meeting in camera.